Main bearing for crankshaft of internal combustion engine

ABSTRACT

A main bearing includes first and second half bearings, each having a main cylinder portion and crush relief portions in both circumferential end portions. An oil groove circumferentially extends on an inner circumferential surface only of the first half bearing, one circumferential end portion of the oil groove opens on a circumferential end surface on a front side in a rotation direction, and the other circumferential end portion of the oil groove is positioned in the main cylinder portion. The first half bearing includes a transition region at least between the crush relief portion on the rear side in the rotation direction and the main cylinder portion, and the second half bearing includes a transition region at least between the crush relief portion on the front side in the rotation direction and the main cylinder portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The invention of the present application relates to a main bearing for supporting a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine.

(2) Description of Related Art

A crankshaft of an internal combustion engine is supported at a journal section thereof by a cylinder block lower part of the internal combustion engine via a main bearing made of a pair of half bearings. For the main bearing, a lubricating oil that is discharged by an oil pump is fed into a lubricating oil groove that is formed along an inner circumferential surface of the main bearing through a through-port that is formed in a wall of the main bearing from an oil gallery that is formed in a cylinder block wall. Further, a first lubricating oil path is formed by being penetrated in a diameter direction of the journal section, and both end openings of the first lubricating oil path communicate with the lubricating oil groove of the main bearing. Furthermore, a second lubricating oil path passing through a crank arm section is formed by branching from the first lubricating oil path in the journal section, and the second lubricating oil path communicates with a third lubricating oil path that is formed by being penetrated in a diameter direction of a crankpin. In this manner, the lubricating oil which is fed into the lubricating oil groove formed on the inner circumferential surface of the main bearing through the through-port from the oil gallery in the cylinder block wall passes through the first lubricating oil path, the second lubricating oil path and the third lubricating oil path, and is supplied between a sliding surface of the crankpin and a connecting rod bearing from a discharge port that is opened in a terminal end of the third lubricating oil path (for example, see JP-A-8-277831).

Conventionally, as the main bearing and the connecting rod bearing, sliding bearings each configured by a pair of half bearings have been adopted, and in each of the sliding bearings, a so-called crush relief is formed adjacently to abutment surfaces of the half bearings. A crush relief corresponds to a gap region that is formed in a space from a shaft to be supported by forming a wall thickness of a region adjacent to a circumferential end surface of a half bearing so that the wall thickness becomes thinner toward the circumferential end surface (for example, see SAE J506 (item 3.26 and item 6.4), DIN1497 (section 3.2), JIS D3102). The crush relief is formed with an objective of absorbing a positional displacement and deformation of the butting surfaces of the half bearings in a state in which a pair of half bearings are assembled (For example, see JP-A-4-219521).

Meanwhile, in recent years, in order to decrease the leakage amount of the lubricating oil from a bearing end portion in response to downsizing of a lubricating oil supplying oil pump, there are proposed a bearing in which a circumferential groove is formed by boring an inner circumferential surface of a bearing circumferential end portion, or a bearing which is configured so as not to communicate a lubricating oil groove formed along an inner circumferential surface of the bearing with a crush relief (namely, configured to form a raised portion between the lubricating oil groove and the crush relief) (see JP-A-2011-58568, and JP-A-2008-95858).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Here, an operation of the prior art in which a circumferential end portion, on a rear side in a rotation direction of a crankshaft, of an oil groove 141 a formed along an inner circumferential surface of a half bearing 141 is not communicated with a crush relief 170U on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft will be described with use of FIGS. 15A and 15B, and FIGS. 16A and 16B. As described above, when an inlet opening 6 c for a lubricating oil path 6 a on the surface of a journal section 6 is located at a main cylinder surface 171 of a lower half bearing 142, a gap between the surface of the journal section 6 and the main cylinder surface 171 of the half bearing 142 is narrow. Therefore, the inlet opening 6 c is closed by the main cylinder surface 171 of the half bearing 142, and by the influence of a centrifugal force by rotation of the crankshaft, the pressure of the lubricating oil in the vicinity of the inlet opening 6 c in the lubricating oil path 6 a is in an extremely high state.

As shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, at the moment when the inlet opening 6 c for the lubricating oil path 6 a in the surface of the journal section 6 and the crush relief 170L start communication, an jet flow (back-flow) of the oil to a relief gap side from the lubricating oil path 6 a is instantaneously and temporarily formed due to the difference between the pressure of the lubricating oil inside the lubricating oil path 6 a, and the pressure of the lubricating oil in the gap (the relief gap) between the crush relief 170L and the surface of the journal section 6.

On that occasion, the jet flow mainly flows into only crush relief grooves 175 that communicate with the inlet opening 6 c for the lubricating oil path 6 a, because the relief gap in the region of the circumferential end portion of the crush relief 170L is narrow. Therefore, the jet flow of the lubricating oil is extremely strong.

Subsequently, the jet flow of the high-pressure oil that flows into the crush relief grooves 175 moves straight ahead in the crush relief grooves 175, passes over an axial groove 176 by an inertia force, and is concentratedly fed into a relief gap of the other half bearing 141 while remaining in a high-pressure state.

In that case, when the jet flow of the high-pressure oil reaches a vicinity of a circumferential end portion of the crush relief 170U of the other half bearing 141 (namely, an end portion of the crush relief on a central portion side in the circumferential direction of the half bearing 141) as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the pressure of the oil rapidly reduces, and therefore a vacancy (a bubble) 200 is easily generated in the oil. More specifically, the reason why the pressure of the oil reduces is that all of the high-pressure oil can not enter a narrow region in the relief gap or a further narrow region ahead of it between the main cylinder surface and the journal surface, and therefore the flow of the oil is disturbed (becomes a disturbed flow).

Generation spots of the vacancies (the bubbles) concentrate in a region in the vicinity of the circumferential end portion of the crush relief 170U on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft of the half bearing 141, over which region the inlet opening 6 c of the lubricating oil path 6 a on the surface of the journal section 6 passes, and therefore, rupture, and collapse of the vacancies (the bubbles) concentratedly occur in the region. Due to the impact thereof, cavitation erosion easily occurs at the inner circumferential surface of the crush relief 170U of the half bearing 141.

An object of the invention of the present application is to provide a main bearing for a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine that is excellent in restraining cavitation erosion.

In order to attain the above described object, according to one aspect of the invention of the present application, there is provided:

a main bearing for rotatably supporting a journal section of a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, the journal section comprising a cylindrical body part, a lubricating oil path extending to penetrate the cylindrical body part, and two inlet openings of the lubricating oil path that are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body part, wherein

the main bearing comprises first and second half bearings which are combined into a cylindrical shape by butting respective circumferential end surfaces,

the first and second half bearings are configured to form an axial groove extending through an entire length of the main bearing in an axial direction on an inner circumferential surface side of each butting portion when the first and second half bearings are combined,

each half bearing has a main cylinder portion including a central portion of the half bearing in the circumferential direction, and crush relief portions which are formed throughout an entire length of the half bearing in the axial direction at both end portions of the half bearing in the circumferential direction so that a wall thickness of the crush relief portion becomes thinner than that of the main cylinder portion, each crush relief portion extending from the end surface of the half bearing in the circumferential direction toward the central portion in the circumferential direction with a center angle not less than 3° and not more than 15°,

a plurality of crush relief grooves extending in the circumferential direction through an entire length of the crush relief portion are formed in each crush relief portion to communicate with the axial groove,

an oil groove is formed only on an inner circumferential surface of the first one of the first and second half bearings to extend in the circumferential direction, a circumferential end portion of the oil groove on a front side of a rotation direction of the crankshaft opening on the circumferential end surface of the first half bearing on the front side of the rotation direction, a circumferential end portion of the oil groove on a rear side of the rotation direction of the crankshaft being positioned in the main cylinder portions of the first half bearing,

the first half bearing further has a transition region formed at least between the crush relief portion on a rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft and the main cylinder portion in such a manner that a wall thickness of the transition region becomes thinner toward the crush relief portion from the main cylinder portion,

the second half bearing further has a transition region formed at least between the crush relief portion on a front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft and the main cylinder portion in such a manner that a wall thickness of the transition region becomes thinner toward the crush relief portion from the main cylinder portion, and

the transition region comprises an inward protruding curved surface in a protruding shape which protrudes inward in a radial direction, seen from the axial direction of the half bearing.

In the above described main bearing, each crush relief portion connecting to the transition region preferably has a depth of 0.002 mm to 0.030 mm in a radial direction in the connecting position.

Further, in the above described main bearing, each transition region preferably has a length of 1 mm to 4 mm in the circumferential direction.

Further, in the above described main bearing, each crush relief groove preferably has a depth of 1 μm to 20 μm in the radial direction, and a width of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm in the axial direction.

Further, in the above described main bearing, when the first and second half bearings are combined, the respective crush relief grooves which are formed in the crush relief portions of the first half bearings are preferably adapted to be displaced in the axial direction with respect to the respective crush relief grooves which are formed in the crush relief portions of the second half bearing by an amount exceeding zero at a minimum and less than the width of the crush relief groove at a maximum.

Further, in the above described main bearing, each axial groove preferably has a depth of 0.1 mm to 1 mm in the radial direction, and a width of 0.3 mm to 2.0 mm in the circumferential direction.

Further, in the above described main bearing, each transition region may have the inward protruding curved surface on a side far from the adjacent crush relief portion, and may have an outward protruding curved surface in a protruding shape protruding outward in the radial direction on a side near to the crush relief portion.

Further, in the above described main bearing, the depth of the oil groove may be maximum at the circumferential end surface of the first half bearing on the front side of the rotation direction of the crankshaft, and may become smaller toward the circumferential end portion of the oil groove on the rear side of the rotation direction.

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, in the invention of the present application, an inlet opening 6 c is closed by a main cylinder surface 71 of a half bearing 42 while the inlet opening 6 c for the lubricating oil in the surface of the journal section 6 is located at the main cylinder surface 71 (the inner surface of the main cylinder portion) of the half bearing 42, but since the lubricating oil in a lubricating oil path 6 a is pressed toward the inlet opening 6 c side by the centrifugal force by rotation of the crankshaft, the pressure of the lubricating oil in the vicinity of the inlet opening 6 c in the lubricating oil path 6 a is in an extremely high state, especially when the rotational speed of the crankshaft is high in an operation of the internal combustion engine.

However, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, at the moment when the inlet opening 6 c of the lubricating oil path 6 a in the surface of the journal section 6 and the transition region 73 start communication, the high-pressure lubricating oil that instantaneously jets and flows backward into the relief gap from the lubricating oil path 6 a disperses and flows into the relief gap due to the difference between the pressure of the lubricating oil inside the lubricating oil path 6 a and the pressure of the lubricating oil in a gap (a relief gap) among a crush relief portion 70, a transition region 73 and the surface of the journal section 6. Since the half bearing 42 of the invention of the present application has the transition region 73, the jet flow of the high-pressure lubricating oil disperses and flows in the bearing width direction of the relief gap.

When the lubricating oil which has a high pressure in the lubricating oil path 6 a flows into the relief gap (the gap between the surface of the crush relief portion and the surface of the journal section) of the half bearing 42, the pressure of the lubricating oil reduces, and a cavitation phenomenon in which vacancies (bubbles) 200 are generated in the lubricating oil sometimes occurs.

In the invention of the present application, the lubricating oil that has a high pressure disperses and flows into the relief gap of the half bearing 42, and therefore, generation of vacancies (bubbles) disperses in the relief gap of the half bearing 42 on the lower side.

When the vacancies (bubbles) generated in the lubricating oil rapture and collapse, a force (an impact force) occurs, and if the spots where vacancies (bubbles) rapture and collapse concentrate in a particular site in the relief gap of the half bearing 42, the surface of the crush relief portion of the half bearing 42 is sometimes damaged (cavitation erosion).

In the invention of the present application, the generation spots of vacancies (bubbles) disperse in the relief gap as described above, and the spots where the vacancies (the bubbles) rapture also disperse in the relief gap. Therefore, in the crush relief surface of the half bearing 42, cavitation erosion hardly occurs.

Further, the vacancies (the bubbles) that do not collapse in the relief gap of the half bearing 42 are guided to the crush relief grooves 75 together with the lubricating oil, are fed to the axial groove 77, and are further discharged to an outside from both the end portions in the bearing width direction of the axial groove 77 together with the lubricating oil.

Accordingly, in the half bearing 42 of the invention, the lubricating oil which has been under high pressure in the lubricating oil path is not forwarded in a concentrated manner to a region near an end portion of the relief gap on the central portion side in the circumferential direction of the other half bearing 41, over which region the inlet opening 6 c of the lubricating oil path 6 a on the surface of the journal section 6 passes. Further, since the volume in the region near the end portion of the relief gap on the central portion side in the circumferential direction of the half bearing 41 becomes larger than that of a conventional bearing, an impact force generated when the vacancies (bubbles) collapses is relieved, and therefore the problem hardly arises that cavitation erosion occurs in an inner circumferential surface of the crush relieve portion 70 of the half bearing 41.

Further, according to the invention of the present application, the formation range of the crush relief portion is from 3° to 15° inclusive as the circumferential angle (θ) starting from the circumferential end surface of the half bearing. The reason thereof is that if the formation range of the crush relief is from the circumferential end surface of the half bearing to less than 3° in the circumferential angle (θ), the capacity of the relief gap is so small that the oil flowing out of the inlet opening 6 c hardly disperses and flows out to the relief gap, whereas if the circumferential angle (θ) exceeds 15°, oil including vacancies (bubbles) passes over the axial groove 77 and easily advances into the inner circumferential surface of the other half bearing, and the leakage amount of the oil to the outside from the half bearings 41 and 42 also increases.

In more detail, oil flows (oil flows shown by the arrows) that flow into the relief gap from the transition region 73 in FIG. 14A collide with an oil flow that flows to the relief gap from a gap side between the main cylinder portion and the journal surface not illustrated, accompanies the journal surface and moves straight ahead in the circumferential direction of the bearing in such a manner as to intersect one another in the relief gap. Therefore, in the relief gap, the flow of the oil which flows in the circumferential direction of the bearing is weakened. If the formation range of the crush relief exceeds 15° in the circumferential angle (θ), in the vicinity of the circumferential end portion of the half bearing in the relief gap, the oil which is decreased in the speed of straight movement in the circumferential direction at the upstream side of the relief gap increases in the speed of straight movement in the circumferential direction of the bearing again, until the oil accompanies the journal surface and is fed to the vicinity of the circumferential end portion of the half bearing in the relief gap, whereby the oil including vacancies (bubbles) passes over the axial groove and easily advances into the inner circumferential surface of the other half bearing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine cut at a journal section and a crankpin section;

FIG. 2 is a front view of one half bearing according to an embodiment of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the one half bearing according to the embodiment of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the other half bearing according to the embodiment of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a main bearing in a state in which a pair of half bearings is assembled;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view explaining a shape in a vicinity of a crush relief;

FIG. 7 is a development explaining specific dimensions by developing a main cylinder portion in a planar fashion in regard with the shape in the vicinity of the crush relief;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of crush relief grooves;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an axial groove;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view explaining positional relationship between paired crush relief grooves;

FIG. 11 is a front view of one half bearing according to another embodiment of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a view seen from a bearing inner side for explaining a pair of half bearings according to another embodiment of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 13A is a view seen from the bearing inner side for explaining an operation of a main bearing of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 13B is a front view for explaining the operation of the main bearing of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 14A is a view seen from the bearing inner side for explaining the operation of the main bearing of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 14B is a front view for explaining the operation of the main bearing of the invention of the present application;

FIG. 15A is a view seen from a bearing inner side for explaining an operation of a main bearing of a prior art;

FIG. 15B is a front view explaining the operation of the main bearing of the prior art;

FIG. 16A is a view seen from the bearing inner side for explaining the operation of the main bearing of the prior art; and

FIG. 16B is a front view explaining the operation of the main bearing of the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention of the present application will be described with reference to the drawing. Note that in order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments, crush reliefs are illustrated by being emphasized in the drawing.

(Entire Configuration of Bearing Device)

As shown in FIG. 1, a bearing device 1 of each of the present embodiments includes a journal section 6 that is supported by a lower part of a cylinder block 8, a crankpin 5 that is formed integrally with the journal section 6 and revolves around the journal section 6, and a connecting rod 2 that transmits reciprocal movement from an internal combustion engine to the crankpin 5. The bearing device 1 further includes a main bearing 4 that rotatably supports the journal section 6, and a connecting rod bearing 3 that rotatably supports the crankpin 5, as sliding bearings that support a crankshaft.

Note that while the crankshaft has a plurality of journal sections 6 and a plurality of crankpins 5, explanation will be made by illustrating one of the journal sections 6 and one of the crankpins 5 here for convenience of explanation. In FIG. 1, positional relation in a depth direction of the page is such that the journal section 6 is on a back side of the page, and the crankpin 5 is on a front side thereof.

The journal section 6 is pivotally supported by a cylinder block lower part 81 of an internal combustion engine via the main bearing 4 that is configured by a pair of half bearings 41 and 42. In the half bearing 41 which is on an upper side in FIG. 1, an oil groove 41 a is formed on an inner circumferential surface in a circumferential direction. Further, the journal section 6 has a lubricating oil path 6 a that penetrates in the diameter direction, and when the journal section 6 rotates in an arrow X direction, inlet openings 6 c at both ends of the lubricating oil path 6 a alternately communicate with the oil groove 41 a of the main bearing 4.

The crankpin 5 is pivotally supported by a large end portion housing 21 (a rod side large end portion housing 22 and a cap side large end portion housing 23) of the connecting rod 2 via the connecting rod bearing 3 which is configured by a pair of half bearings 31 and 32.

As described above, for the main bearing 4, a lubricating oil that is discharged by an oil pump is fed into the oil groove 41 a which is formed along the inner circumferential surface of the main bearing 4 through a through-port formed in a wall of the main bearing 4 from an oil gallery formed in a cylinder block wall.

Furthermore, the first lubricating oil path 6 a is formed to penetrate in the diameter direction of the journal section 6, and the inlet opening 6 c of the first lubricating oil path 6 a communicates with the lubricating oil groove 41 a. A second lubricating oil path 5 a that branches from the first lubricating oil path 6 a of the journal section 6 and passes through a crank arm section (not illustrated) is formed, and the second lubricating oil path 5 a communicates with a third lubricating oil path 5 b that is formed to penetrate in a diameter direction of the crankpin 5.

In this manner, the lubricating oil passes through the first lubricating oil path 6 a, the second lubricating oil path 5 a and the third lubricating oil path 5 b, and is supplied to a gap that is formed between the crankpin 5 and the connecting rod bearing 3, from a discharge port 5 c at an end portion of the third lubricating oil path 5 b.

(Configuration of Half Bearing)

The main bearing 4 of the present embodiment is formed by butting end surfaces in a circumferential direction of the pair of half bearings 41 and 42, and assembling the pair of half bearings 41 and 42 into a cylindrical shape as a whole (see FIG. 5). Each half bearing 41 (or 42) is formed into a semi-cylindrical shape by a bimetal formed by bonding a bearing alloy thinly on a steel plate as shown in FIG. 2. The half bearing 41 includes a main cylinder portion 71 that is formed by including a central portion in a circumferential direction, crush relief portions 70 and 70 that are formed at both end portions in the circumferential direction, and transition regions 73 and 73 that are located between the main cylinder portion 71 and the crush relief portions 70 and 70, and are formed in such a manner that wall thicknesses thereof become thinner toward the crush relief portions 70 and 70.

Embodiment 1

As is understood from FIGS. 3 and 5, the oil groove 41 a which is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the half bearing 41 is formed to extend through the central portion in the circumferential direction, so that a circumferential end portion of the oil groove on a front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft opens on an end surface 72 on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft while a circumferential end portion of the oil groove on a rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft is located in an inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder portion 71.

In this embodiment, the oil groove 41 a has a rectangular shape in cross-section. The depth of the oil groove 41 a is constant in the circumferential direction except the vicinity of the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft, and becomes gradually shallow in the vicinity of the circumferential end portion toward the circumferential end portion on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft. Note that in the main cylinder portion 71, the depth of the oil groove 41 a mentioned here refers to a depth from an inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder portion 71 to an oil groove bottom surface, whereas in the crush relief portion 70 and the transition region 73, the depth of the oil groove 41 a refers to a depth from a virtual inner circumferential surface 71 v (see FIG. 7) in the case in which the crush relief portion 70 and the transition region 73 are not formed.

The reason why the oil groove 41 a is configured to open on the circumferential end surface 72 of the half bearing 41 on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft is to forward a large amount of oil to an inner circumferential surface of the other half bearing 42 to improve the lubrication property. Further, the reason why the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft is configured to be located in the main cylinder portion 71 is to prevent the oil in the oil groove 41 a from flowing out to the relief gap formed by the crush relief portion 70 of the half bearing 41 on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft. The length (distance) between the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft and the transition region 73 is preferably 1 mm or more.

If the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft opens on the circumferential end surface 72 or in the crush relief portion 70 of the half bearing 41 on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft, the bubbles in the oil enter the oil groove 41 a, so that cavitation erosion may occur in an inner circumferential surface of the oil groove 41 a near the circumferential end portion thereof, or in an inner circumferential surface of the connecting rod bearing 3 due to the bubbles which have been forwarded from the oil groove 41 a to the crankpin portion 5 side by entering the inside via the inlet opening 6 c for the lubricating oil path 6 a on the surface of the journal section 6.

As is understood from FIG. 3, the oil groove 41 a is disposed in a center of a width in an axial direction of the half bearing 41. A through-port (not illustrated) that penetrates through the half bearing 41 in a radial direction is formed in a bottom portion of the oil groove 41 a, and the oil is supplied into the oil groove 41 a through the through-port from the oil gallery in the wall of the cylinder block. The width of the oil groove 41 a varies depending on the specifications of the internal combustion engine, and in the case of a compact internal combustion engine for a passenger car, for example, is about 4 to 7 mm and a maximum depth (corresponding to the constant depth except the region of the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft in the case of Embodiment 1) of the oil groove 41 a is about 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

Note that the oil groove 41 a is not limited to Embodiment 1, and the width and depth of the oil groove may be maximum in the vicinity of the central portion of the circumferential length of the oil groove 41 a and may become small gradually toward the circumferential end portion.

Note that in the invention of the present application, the transition region 73 on a front side in the rotational direction of the crankshaft in the lower half bearing 42 which does not have an oil groove, and the transition region 73 on a rear side in the rotational direction of the crankshaft in the upper half bearing 41 are essential components, whereas the transition region 73 on a rear side in the lower half bearing 42 is not an essential component, and the transition region 73 on a front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft in the upper half bearing 41 having the oil groove is not an essential component, also.

In Embodiment 1, the half bearings 41 and 42 include the transition regions 73 on both of the front side and the rear side. Unlike Embodiment 1, on the rear side in the rotational direction of the crankshaft 6, of the half bearing 42, the crush relief portion 70 and the main cylinder portion 71 may be formed to be directly connected, without forming the transition region 73. Further, without forming the transition regions 73 in the half bearing 41, the crush relief portions 70 and the main cylinder portion 71 may be formed to be directly connected. Note that “the transition region 73 on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft 6” means the transition region 73 which an optional point on a surface of the journal section 6 which is rotating passes at the second time, out of the transition regions 73 located in the vicinities of both ends when attention is paid to the one half bearing 41 or 42.

Meanwhile, a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine rotates in one direction during operation. Accordingly, a person skilled in the art would be able to recognize which of two crush reliefs adjacent to circumferential end surfaces of a half bearing corresponds to the “transition region on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft” taking account of the rotation direction of the crankshaft. Also, the skilled person would be able to design and manufacture the main bearing 4 of the present invention in accordance with the disclosure of the invention, and to mount this bearing in a bearing device which supports the crankshaft rotating in one direction.

If the transition regions 73 are formed on both the front side and the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft in the half bearing 42, commonality of machining steps for the inner circumferential surface at both end portions in the circumferential direction of the half bearing 42 can be achieved, and if the transition region 73 is formed in the half bearing 41, commonality of machining steps for the inner circumferential surfaces of the half bearing 41 and the half bearing 42 can be also achieved.

The main cylinder portion 71 has a semi-cylindrical surface that occupies most part of the inner circumferential surface of the half bearing 41 (or 42), and the semi-cylindrical surface forms a main sliding surface between the semi-cylindrical surface and a mating shaft. The transition region 73 which has a wall thickness gradually decreasing toward the crush relief portion 70 is provided adjacently to the main cylinder portion 71, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In other words, in the transition region 73, an inclined curved surface is formed to approach the mating shaft side from an inner surface of the crush relief portion 70 toward an inner surface of the main cylinder portion 71.

The transition region 73 seen from the axial direction of the half bearing 41 (or 42) is made of an inward protruding curved surface that protrudes inward in a radial direction of the half bearing 41 (or 42). Namely, an inclination of the inclined curved surface of the transition region 73 to the virtual inner circumferential surface (extended surface of the main cylinder portion 71) 71 v of the half bearing 41 seen from the axial direction of the half bearing 41 (or 42) becomes the largest at a position connecting to the crush relief portion 70, and becomes the smallest at a position connecting to the main cylinder portion 71, and the transition region 73 connects to the main cylinder portion 71 smoothly.

Note that the transition region may be formed of a flat surface, and in that case, a corner portion (a corner edge portion) is formed at a connection spot of the main cylinder portion 71 and the transition region. The corner portion contacts a journal portion surface of the crankshaft, and damage easily occurs. The transition region is formed by the inclined curved surface as in the invention of the present application, whereby such a problem hardly arises.

Further, an inner surface shape of the transition region 73 can be such a shape that a high-pressure oil in the lubricating oil path flows to a relief gap (a gap formed by the inner surface of the transition region 73, the inner surface of the crush relief portion 70 and the virtual inner circumferential surface) at a connecting portion of the transition region 73 and the main cylinder portion 71. For example, the inner surface shape may include an outward protruding curved surface that protrudes to an outer diameter side, or may be a composite curved surface in an S-shape having an outward protruding curved surface on a side near to the crush relief portion 70 and an inward protruded curved surface on a side far from the crush relief portion 70.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, specific dimensions of the crush relief portion 70 and the transition region 73 will be described. FIG. 7 is a development in which the inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder portion 71 is developed to be a flat surface (a straight line in a section).

A depth D1 at the circumferential end surface of a crush relief 70 c may be similar to the conventional crush relief. Though the depth D1 depends on the specifications of an internal combustion engine, the depth D1 is about 0.01 to 0.05 mm, for example, in the case of a compact internal combustion engine bearing for a passenger car. Further, the crush relief 70 c is preferably formed from the end portion in the circumferential direction of the half bearing to a range of a circumferential angle θ of 3° to 15° inclusive toward a central portion side in the circumferential direction, for a discharge operation of the high-pressure oil from an inside of the lubricating oil path to the relief gap (see FIGS. 2 and 7).

A depth D2 at a position of the crush relief portion 70 connecting to the transition region 73 can be set at 0.002 to 0.030 mm. If the depth D2 is within the range, (A) even in the region on the upstream side of the crush relief, the gap space in which the oil can disperse when the inlet opening 6 c of the oil path 6 a communicates with the transition region is formed in the vicinity of the connecting portion of the transition region 73 and the crush relief portion 70 (FIG. 14B), and (B) the pressure of the oil in the relief gap between a surface of the journal section 6 of the crankshaft and an inner surface of the crush relief portion 70 also becomes low in the upstream region. This is because when the oil having high pressure in the gap between the main cylinder surface and the journal portion surface advances into the relief gap of the invention of the present application in which a gap capacity is large (the gap capacity abruptly increases), the pressure of the oil is abruptly reduced at the same time. Therefore, the oil the pressure of which is high in a vicinity of the inlet opening 6 c of the internal oil path 6 a also especially disperses and flows to the relief gap from a gap between the transition region and the journal surface (FIG. 14A).

Note that when the depth D2 is less than 0.002 mm, the effect of reducing the pressure of the oil in the relief gap is reduced, and therefore, the high-pressure oil is difficult to disperse and feed to the relief gap. Further, when the depth D2 exceeds 0.030 mm, a gap (a gap sandwiched by the inner surface of the crush relief portion 70 and the virtual inner circumferential surface 71 v) of the crush relief 70 c in the end portion in the width direction of the half bearing 41 (or 42) is large, and therefore, a leakage amount of the lubricating oil to the outside from both end portions in the bearing width direction of the half bearing 41 (or 42) becomes large.

A length L2 in the circumferential direction, of the transition region 73 according to Embodiment 1 is in a range of 1 to 4 mm, and is more preferably in a range of 2 to 3 mm.

The crush relief portion 70 according to Embodiment 1 is formed in such a manner that the depth D1 at the position of the end surface 72 becomes deeper than the depth D2 at the position connecting to the transition region 73 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Here, the depth of the crush relief 70 c refers to a distance from the virtual inner circumferential surface 71 v which is obtained by extending the inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder portion 71 over the crush relief portion 70 to the surface of the crush relief portion 70.

Furthermore, the crush relief 70 c according to the present embodiment is formed by an outward protruding curved surface in an outward protruding shape in the radial direction of each of the half bearings 41 and 42. Namely, an inclination of the inner surface of the crush relief portion 70 with respect to the virtual inner circumferential surface 71 v of the half bearing when seen from the axial direction of the half bearing is maximum at the position connecting to the transition region 73, is minimum at the position of the end surface 72, and is substantially parallel with the virtual inner circumferential surface 71 v.

Note that shapes of the main cylinder portion 71, the crush relief portion 70 and the transition region 73 that are described above are measurable by an ordinary shape measuring instrument, for example, a roundness measuring instrument. Namely, in a state in which the bearing is assembled into the actual bearing housing section at the cylinder block lower part, or the housing similar thereto, the shape of the inner surface of the bearing can be measured continuously in the circumferential direction.

In the crush relief portions 70, a plurality of crush relief grooves 74 and 75 are formed throughout an entire length in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surfaces of the crush relief portions 70 to extend parallel with the circumferential direction of the bearing, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The plurality of crush relief grooves 74 and 75 are disposed parallel with one another in the width direction of the half bearings 41 and 42, and are formed throughout the entire width. Accordingly, a flat region is not present on the inner circumferential surfaces of the crush relief portions (except for a formation range of the oil groove 41 a of the half bearing 41). Further, all of the plurality of crush relief grooves 74 and 75 are formed into the same groove widths and groove depths, and are also formed into the same groove widths and groove depths throughout the entire length in the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface of the crush relief portion 70.

Describing in more detail, the crush relief groove 74 is formed into a circular-arc shape (a shape in which a circular-arc portion is on a back side) with a predetermined groove width WG and a predetermined groove depth DG, as shown in FIG. 8. In other words, the individual crush relief grooves 74 are cut grooves each in a U-shape, provided in parallel at constant intervals (WG) in the width direction, and form a section in a saw-tooth shape or a shallow comb shape as a whole. Here, the groove width WG refers to the distance in the width direction of the half bearings 41 and 42 between apexes of adjacent peak portions, and the groove depth DG refers to a distance in a direction perpendicular to the inner circumferential surface from the apex to a bottom point of a valley portion. More specifically, the crush relief groove 74 preferably has the groove width WG of 0.05 to 0.5 mm, and the groove depth DG of 1 to 20 μm.

Here, the crush relief portions 70 are configured so that the plurality of crush relief grooves 74, 75 are formed on the inner circumferential surfaces thereof, however, the crush relief grooves 74, 75 are not formed continuously in the transition regions 73 as shown in FIG. 7, and thus a boundary between the crush relief 70 and the transition region 73 is clear.

According to the invention of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 14A, the plurality of crush relief grooves 75 are formed throughout the entire length in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the crush relief portion 70 to extend parallel with the circumferential direction of the bearing. When among the crush relief grooves 75 of the half bearing 42 on the lower side of FIG. 13A, for example, the crush relief grooves 75 on the right side of the page from the central portion in the axial direction of the half bearing 42 and the crush relief grooves on the left side of the page are inclined toward the central portion (the oil groove 41 a of the half bearing 41 on the upper side) in the axial direction of the half bearing 42 (inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the bearing), instead of the circumferential direction, unlike the invention of the present application, a vacancy (an bubble) generated in the relief gap is fed toward the central portion (the oil groove 41 a side) in the axial direction of the half bearing 41 on the upper side, and therefore, is difficult to discharge to an outside of the bearing. Further, for example, when among the crush relief grooves 75 of the half bearing 42 on the lower side in FIG. 13A, the crush relief grooves 75 on the right side on the page from the central portion in the axial direction of the half bearing 42 and the crush relief grooves on the left side on the page are inclined toward the end portion in the axial direction of the half bearing 42, the leakage amount of the oil to the outside from the half bearing 41 becomes large.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9, in the crush relief portions 70, inclined surfaces 76 that continuously extend in the axial direction of the half bearings 41 and 42 are formed at inner end edges in the circumferential direction of the half bearings 41 and 42. Namely, an axial groove 77 is formed along inner edges of the circumferential end surfaces 72 that abut on each other, and throughout the entire length of the width in the axial direction of the main bearing, in a state in which the pair of half bearings 41 and 42 are combined into a cylindrical shape. Note that unlike Embodiment 1, the inclined surface 76 may be formed on only one end surface in the circumferential direction out of the two circumferential end surfaces 72 which abut on each other. In that case, when the pair of half bearings 41 and 42 is combined into the cylindrical shape, the inclined surface 76 forms the axial groove 77 in cooperation with the other circumferential end surface 72.

More specifically, the axial groove 77 preferably has a groove width WJ of 0.3 to 2 mm in the circumferential direction in the combined state, and a groove depth DJ in the radial direction of 0.1 to 1 mm. The axial groove 77 to be an exhaust path for the oil including vacancies (bubbles) can be in any size as long as passage of the oil including vacancies (bubbles) is enabled, and is not affected by the size of the bearing. Note that in FIG. 9, the groove with a V-shaped section is shown as the axial groove 77, but the sectional shape is not limited thereto as long as passage of the oil including vacancies (bubbles) is enabled.

The axial groove 77 is formed to be deeper than the crush relief groove 75. Therefore, an opening of the crush relief groove 75 at the end portion in the circumferential direction opens to an inner surface (the inclined surface 76) of the axial groove 77. Therefore, the oil including vacancies (bubbles) which flows by being guided by the inner surface recessed portion of the crush relief groove 74 directly advances into the axial groove 77, and therefore, an oil flow to the axial direction is easily formed in the axial groove 77. Accordingly, the oil including vacancies (bubbles) that advances into the axial groove 77 together with the lubricating oil is easily discharged outside the bearing.

The invention of the present application has an object to restrain cavitation erosion in the inner circumferential surface of the crush relief portion 70 by dispersing an oil flowing out of the inlet opening 6 c and thereby preventing the high-pressure oil from concentratedly flowing to the region near the end portion on the central portion side in the circumferential direction of the crush relief 70 c on the rear side in the rotation direction of the other half bearing 41, over which region the inlet opening 6 c on the surface of the journal section 6 passes. However, in order not to cause the high-pressure oil to flow to the half bearing 41 more, the crush relief grooves 74 and 75 are preferably arranged as follows.

In the crush relief portion 70 of the other half bearing 41 which is paired with the one half bearing 42, the plurality of crush relief grooves 74 that continue in the circumferential direction are provided. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the plurality of crush relief grooves 75 of the one half bearing 42 of the present embodiment are each displaced by a half of the groove width WG in the width direction, with respect to the plurality of crush relief grooves 74 of the other half bearing 41. Namely, in the butting portions of the circumferential end surfaces of the pair of half bearings 41 and 42, that is, a connecting position of the one crush relief groove 74 and the other crush relief groove 75 (actually are not directly connected because the axial groove 77 is present), the valley portion (an opening in a recessed shape of the crush relief groove) of the one crush relief groove 74 is disposed to correspond to the peak portion (the protruded shape formed between the two adjacent circumferential grooves 74) of the other crush relief groove 75.

Accordingly, since the vacancies (bubbles) generated in the oil receive resistance in the connecting position of the crush relief groove 74 and the crush relief groove 75, the vacancies (bubbles) that flow in the crush relief groove 75 of the one half bearing 42 hardly advance into the crush relief groove 74 of the other half bearing 41, and are easily discharged to the outside of the bearing by the oil flow that flows to the end portion side in the bearing width direction in the axial groove 77 at the same time. Note that the oil also receives resistance in the connecting position of the crush relief groove 74 and the crush relief groove 75, and also flows from the crush relief groove 75 to the crush relief groove 74.

Embodiment 2

In Embodiment 2, unlike the one half bearing 41 of Embodiment 1, the oil groove 41 a is formed in such a manner that its depth from the main cylinder surface is maximum at the circumferential end surface 72 of the half bearing 41 on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft, and becomes gradually smaller toward the circumferential end portion on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft, as shown in FIG. 11. Note that the depth of the oil groove 41 a at the circumferential end surface 72 on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft refers to a depth to a bottom surface of the oil groove 41 a from a virtual main cylinder surface 71 obtained in the case that the crush relief portion 70 and the inclined surface 76 are not formed. The circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft is positioned in the inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder portion 71 also. The other configuration is the same as the configuration of the half bearing 41 of Embodiment 1.

In Embodiment 2, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, in the crush relief portion 70 of the other half bearing 42 which is paired with the one half bearing 41, a plurality of crush relief grooves 75 extending in the circumferential direction are provided. The plurality of crush relief grooves 74 of the one half bearing 41 of the present embodiment are each displaced by a half of the groove width WG in the width direction with respect to each of the plurality of crush relief grooves 75 of the other half bearing 42.

Embodiment 2 has the operative effect in common with Embodiment 1, and further has an effect of hardly causing the problem that cavitation erosion occurs on a sliding surface of the connecting rod bearing 3 at the crankpin portion 5 by the oil forwarded from the oil groove 41 a of the half bearing 41 to the crankpin portion 5 side.

More specifically, because the oil supplied into the oil groove 41 a flows in the oil groove 41 a toward the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft by accompanying the surface of the journal section 6 of the crankshaft, the oil is pressurized near the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft and increases in pressure. Accordingly, if the oil groove 41 a has a constant depth in the circumferential direction (i.e. a cross sectional area of the oil groove is constant in the circumferential direction), or a depth which becomes gradually small toward the circumferential end portion on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft (i.e. a cross sectional area of the oil groove decreases toward the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft), the pressure of the oil may become excessively high near the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft. Consequently, when the inlet opening 6 c of the lubricating oil path 6 a on the surface of the journal section 6 passes near the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft, the oil under high pressure is forwarded to the crankpin portion 5 side. Then, when the oil flows out in the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the connecting rod bearing 3 and the surface of the crankpin 5, the pressure of the oil rapidly reduces, and a vacancy (a bubble) may be generated in the oil. By an impact force generated when the vacancy (bubble) collapses, cavitation erosion may occur on the inner circumferential surface of the connecting rod bearing 3.

On the contrary, when the oil groove 41 a is configured so that its depth becomes large toward the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft like Embodiment 2, the cross sectional area of the oil groove 41 a becomes large toward the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft, and therefore the pressure of the oil does not become excessively high near the circumferential end portion of the oil groove 41 a on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft, so that occurrence of the cavitation erosion on the sliding surface of the connecting rod bearing 3 can be restrained.

While each of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 shows the example in which the plurality of crush relief grooves 74 of the one half bearing 41 are each displaced by a half of the groove width WG in the width direction with respect to the plurality of crush relief grooves 75 of the other half bearing 42, the invention of the present application is not limited thereto. The plurality of crush relief grooves 74 may be displaced within a range that exceeds zero and is less than the groove width WG in the width direction, with respect to the plurality of crush relief grooves 75 of the other half bearing 42. In other words, the crush relief groove 74 on one side and the crush relief groove 75 on the other side can be disposed by the positions of the respective central portions in the groove widths are displaced in the width direction in a range which exceeds at least zero and is less than the groove width WG at the maximum in the connecting position. Further, more preferably, the crush relief groove 74 on the one side and the crush relief groove 75 on the other side are disposed in such a manner that the respective positions of the central portions in the groove widths are displaced in the width direction of the half bearing 41 in a range of at least 10% of the groove width WG to 50% inclusive of the groove width WG at the maximum in the connecting position. However, the crush relief groove 74 and the crush relief groove 75 may conform to each other, though discharge performance for vacancies is slightly low.

While the embodiments of the invention of the present application are described in detail with reference to the drawing, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments, and design changes to the extent without departing from the gist of the invention of the present application are included in the invention of the present application.

For example, in each of the embodiments, the case in which the plurality of crush relief grooves 75 are provided at only the crush relief portion 70 is described, but a plurality of circumferential grooves may be provided in the main cylinder surface. Further, a plurality of circumferential grooves may be provided in the transition region 73. However, the circumferential grooves formed in the main cylinder surface and the transition region 73 should have a smaller groove depth than the crush relief grooves 74, 75, and the crush relief grooves 74, 75 should not be formed so as to extend up to the transition region 73 and the main cylinder surface. Further, the oil groove 41 a has a rectangular shape in cross-section in the embodiments, but may have an inversed trapezoidal shape in cross-section. Furthermore, a region where the bearing wall thickness decreases (a crowning portion) may be provided on the inner circumferential surface sides of both the end portions in the axial direction of the half bearings 41 and 42. Further, although the embodiments show the example in which the main bearing 4 supports the crankshaft with two inlet openings 6 c for the inner oil path 6 a on the surface of the journal section 6, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a main bearing 4 which supports a crankshaft with one opening 6 c, or with three or more openings 6 c for a lubricating oil path 6 a on a surface of a journal section 6. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A main bearing for rotatably supporting a journal section of a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, the journal section comprising a cylindrical body portion, a lubricating oil path extending to penetrate the cylindrical body portion, and at least one inlet opening of the lubricating oil path that is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body portion, wherein the main bearing consists of a first half bearing and a second half bearing which are combined into a cylindrical shape by butting respective circumferential end surfaces thereof, the first half bearing and the second half bearing are configured so as to form together an axial groove extending through an entire length of the main bearing in an axial direction on an inner circumferential side of each butting portion when the first half bearing and the second half bearing are combined, each half bearing comprises a main cylinder portion including a circumferential central portion of the half bearing, and crush relief portions which are formed over the entire length in the axial direction at both circumferential end portions of the half bearing so that a wall thickness of the crush relief portion is thinner than that of the main cylinder portion, and each crush relief portion extending from the circumferential end surface toward the circumferential central portion of the half bearing with a center angle not less than 3° but not more than 15°, a plurality of crush relief grooves extending in the circumferential direction over an entire length of the crush relief portion are formed in each crush relief portion so as to communicate with the axial groove, an oil groove is formed only on an inner circumferential surface of the first one of the first half bearing and the second half bearing to extend in the circumferential direction, a circumferential end portion of the oil groove on a front side of a rotation direction of the crankshaft opening on the circumferential end surface of the first half bearing on the front side of the rotation direction, a circumferential end portion of the oil groove on a rear side of the rotation direction of the crankshaft being positioned in the main cylinder portion of the first half bearing, the first half bearing further comprises a transition region formed at least between the crush relief portion on the rear side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft and the main cylinder portion so that a wall thickness of the transition region becomes thinner toward the crush relief portion from the main cylinder portion, the second half bearing further comprises a transition region formed at least between the crush relief portion on the front side in the rotation direction of the crankshaft and the main cylinder portion so that a wall thickness of the transition region becomes thinner toward the crush relief portion from the main cylinder portion, each of the transition regions comprises an inward protruding curved surface in a protruding shape which protrudes inward in a radial direction, seen from the axial direction of the half bearing, and a depth of the oil groove is maximum at the circumferential end surface of the first half bearing on the front side of the rotation direction, and becomes smaller toward the circumferential end portion of the oil groove on the rear side of the rotation direction.
 2. The main bearing according to claim 1, wherein each crush relief portion connecting with the transition region has a depth of 0.002 mm to 0.030 mm in a radial direction at the connecting position.
 3. The main bearing according to claim 1, wherein each transition region has a length of 1 mm to 4 mm in the circumferential direction.
 4. The main bearing according to claim 1, wherein each crush relief groove has a depth of 1 μm to 20 μm in the radial direction, and a width of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm in the axial direction.
 5. The main bearing according to claim 1, wherein when the first half bearing and the second half bearing are combined, the respective crush relief grooves formed in the crush relief portions of the first half bearing are adapted to be displaced in the axial direction with respect to the respective crush relief grooves formed in the crush relief portions of the second half bearing by an amount exceeding zero at a minimum and less than the width of the crush relief groove at a maximum.
 6. The main bearing according to claim 1, wherein each axial groove has a depth of 0.1 mm to 1 mm in the radial direction, and a width of 0.3 mm to 2.0 mm in the circumferential direction.
 7. The main bearing according to claim 1, wherein each transition region has the inward protruding curved surface on a side far from the crush relief portion, and has an outward protruding curved surface in a protruding shape protruding outward in the radial direction on a side near the crush relief portion. 